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The role of the number of degrees of freedom and chaos in macroscopic irreversibility

Author

Listed:
  • Cerino, L.
  • Cecconi, F.
  • Cencini, M.
  • Vulpiani, A.

Abstract

This article aims at revisiting, with the aid of simple and neat numerical examples, some of the basic features of macroscopic irreversibility, and, thus, of the mechanical foundation of the second principle of thermodynamics as drawn by Boltzmann. Emphasis will be put on the fact that, in systems characterized by a very large number of degrees of freedom, irreversibility is already manifested at a single-trajectory level for the vast majority of the far-from-equilibrium initial conditions—a property often referred to as typicality. We also discuss the importance of the interaction among the microscopic constituents of the system and the irrelevance of chaos to irreversibility, showing that the same irreversible behaviors can be observed both in chaotic and non-chaotic systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Cerino, L. & Cecconi, F. & Cencini, M. & Vulpiani, A., 2016. "The role of the number of degrees of freedom and chaos in macroscopic irreversibility," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 442(C), pages 486-497.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:442:y:2016:i:c:p:486-497
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2015.09.036
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lieb, Elliott H., 1999. "Some problems in statistical mechanics that I would like to see solved," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 263(1), pages 491-499.
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    Cited by:

    1. Baldovin, Marco & Caprini, Lorenzo & Vulpiani, Angelo, 2019. "Irreversibility and typicality: A simple analytical result for the Ehrenfest model," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 524(C), pages 422-429.
    2. Creaco, Anthony J. & Kalogeropoulos, Nikolaos, 2019. "Irreversibility from staircases in symplectic embeddings," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 513(C), pages 497-509.

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